Unions beat carbon tax protesters

Trade unions have stolen a march on anti-carbon tax protesters by delivering a petition in support of the measure to Climate Change Minister Greg Combet.

Scores of buses, filled with opponents of the planned tax, are heading to Canberra for a rally outside Parliament House on Wednesday morning.

But ACTU president Ged Kearney arrived earlier to personally deliver a petition to Mr Combet.

The petition supports a price on carbon and strong action on climate change.

A coalition of climate change advocates - including the ACTU, activist organisation GetUp, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Greenpeace and others - also plans to take on the protesters.

Rally organiser the Consumers and Taxpayers Association argues the federal government is usurping the democratic rights of Australians.

“Someone’s got to stand up for these people,” association president Chris Johnson told ABC Television.

“The Australian public have not had a chance to vote or having say on the issue.”

Another anti-tax group, the Carbon Sense Coalition, has written to Prime Minister Julia Gillard ahead of the rally.

Its letter expresses “grave concern” about the carbon tax and what the group says is its damaging impact on the Australian economy and families.

“Even with promised compensation, a carbon tax will significantly increase the size and scope of government through burdensome taxation, regulation and the potential for rent seeking by vested interests,” the coalition wrote.

A carbon tax would do nothing to help the environment and its impact on carbon-dioxide emissions would be negligible, it said.

The coalition is made up of 22 “diverse” organisations, its chairman Viv Forbes says.

It includes the Young Liberals, the DLP, National Civic Council, the Conservative Action Network.

Ms Gillard said the ACTU petition had been signed by about 10,000 “working Australians” urging the government to take action on climate change.

She also backed the right of others to rally against the carbon tax.

“In a great democracy, people can make their voice heard by attending peaceful protests,” she told reporters while visiting a wind farm near Bungendore, outside Canberra, on Wednesday.

Ms Gillard refused to indicate whether she would address the rally, saying she spoke to supporters and opponents of climate change action “every day”.

The prime minister is meeting with members of the the Australian Youth Climate Coalition ahead of the noon rally.